User guide

SD/CD Series Card Printers OpenCard Data Format Guide 17
Chapter 3: Creating Card
Formats
This chapter presents an OpenCard process overview, and
describes how to create an OpenCard card format to use with the
SD/CD Series card printers.
About Card Formats for the SD/CD Series Printers
The new card format capabilities of the SD/CD Series printers include the ability to define
personalization operations on both the front and back side of a card. OpenCard supports
monochrome and color graphics, topcoat and printing on both sides of the card, and magnetic
stripe. Enhanced capabilities include support for a full range of industry-standard graphics image
formats and any TrueType font for text. In addition, you can define a wide range of image and
text transformations.
Card Personalization Process Overview
Card formats merge with the OpenCard data stream to create a personalized card using the
following process:
1. Setup
The card format designer creates a card format as an SVG document, creates or acquires the
images and fonts called out in the card format, and prepares the data stream. The data
stream is a text stream that can contain text lines, an optional magnetic stripe data line, and
command lines. Preparing the data stream also includes optionally naming a specific card
format with the @G command, which indicates which card format to use, and naming the
card stock with the @C command.
2. Import
The card format designer uses Printer Manager to import the card format, images, and fonts
to any SD/CD Series printer that is to use the card format.
3. Production
• The printer receives an OpenCard data stream.
• OpenCard locates the correct card format on the printer.